Mazda North America has announced a racing version of the all-new Mazda6, powered by its Skyactiv-D clean diesel engine, will compete in the 2013 Grand-Am GX class.

The Mazda6 Grand-Am GX racecar will make its motorsport debut at the Rolex 24 endurance race on January 26-27 in Daytona Beach, Florida, marking the first time a diesel-powered vehicle of any type has ever raced at the event.

Developed specifically for the new Grand-Am GX class, the Mazda6 racer will employ an engine based on the 129kW/420Nm 2.2-litre Skyactiv-D turbo-diesel unit powering the production Mazda6 and the Mazda CX-5 SUV.

Mazda North America motorsports director John Doonan said teams of engineers have been working flat out for months on the engine's development.

“This is not a pure race engine; it is a production block Skyactiv-D,” Doonan said.

“We're happy to report that the engine is meeting the performance targets for both power and endurance. That means 400-plus horsepower (298kW) for over 50 hours, with an engine that includes a very long list of production Mazda parts.”

Mazda will be hoping to score its 24th class win in the American endurance classic, after claiming recent victories in 2008 and 2010.